177 - TOSEN: A VERY FINE NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A COWERING ONI DURING SETSUBUN

TOSEN: A VERY FINE NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A COWERING ONI DURING SETSUBUN By Tosen, signed Tosen 東仙 Japan, Nagoya, first half of the 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Masterfully carved in an exceptionally compact and tactile form, a muscular oni curled tightly into a near-spherical ball as he desperately shields himself from the roasted beans thrown during the oni-yarai ceremony at Setsubun. His powerful limbs fold and interlock around the body, the feet drawn tightly inward, while his grimacing face is compressed at the center of the composition and framed by finely incised locks of hair. The squinting eyes inlaid in pale horn and the furred eyes convey a wonderfully comic expression of distress. Several roasted beans are picked out in contrasting light-colored inlays across the head and body. The underside reveals the neatly incised tiger-skin loincloth, with the natural himotoshi formed by the limbs. Signed TOSEN in partially worn ukibori characters within a rectangular reserve. HEIGHT 3.1 cm Condition: Excellent condition. Minor expected wear. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Nagoya school wood netsuke of a cowering oni during Setsubun, by Kyoryusai Ittan, 3.1 cm long, dated circa 1850, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 9 May 2025, Vienna, lot 189 (sold for EUR 7,800).